How An Apple Watch Saved This Man From a Life-Threatening Blood Clot

After James Green realized that his heart rate was consistently spiking, he knew something was wrong
- by
Alisa Hrustic

18 Oct
2017

Twitter/James Green

Your health tracker may not always be perfect—but for 28-year-old James Green of Brooklyn, New York, receiving a simple alert from hisApple Watchsaved his life.

Green tweeted on Friday that HeartWatch, one of the Apple Watch’s health sensors, measured his heart rate at consistently above his resting rate of 54, even though he was just sitting at his desk. Turns outthose spikes were signaling a pulmonary embolism, his doctors told him after he made his way to the hospital, where they performed CT scans to reach their diagnosis,The Telegraphreports.

A pulmonary embolism occurs when a clot deep in your vein, most commonly in your leg, travels to your lungs from its original spot, blocking some or even all of your blood supply, according to the American Heart Association. This can prevent vital organs from getting the oxygen and blood they need to properly function, which can be fatal.

Green, a self-proclaimed “serial health tracker,” has experienced a pulmonary embolism before, meaning he had all the more reason to pay attention to what his heart is doing. While he suffers from generalised anxiety disorder, he toldTheTelegraphhe was experiencing other symptoms during the time he received the heart rate alert, which pushed him to believe that he wasn’t experiencing apanic attack, but rather “something more.”

HeartWatch monitors your heart rate data across four views: Waking, Regular, Workout, and Sleeping. Each view is isolated so you can learn to notice unusual changes in how your heart is beating,according tothe app’s official page.

After Green’s diagnosis, his doctors performed a couple of ultrasounds and prescribed himblood thinners, which interfere with the proteins in your body responsible for blood clots, working to minimize the damage.